RTI reply reveals Mumbai Collector's office did not distribute unused funds of several state celebrity MPs, amounting to more than Rs 10 crore, to their successors; the MPs include Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi
RTI reply reveals Mumbai Collector's office did not distribute unused funds of several state celebrity MPs, amounting to more than Rs 10 crore, to their successors; the MPs include Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi
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The Mumbai Collector's office failed to transfer unused MPLADS funds of several celebrity Rajya Sabha MPs in the state to the tune of Rs 10.05 crore to their successors, an RTI reply has revealed.
While Shabana Azmi left Rs 66.42 lakh unused at the end of her term, Mangeshkar left Rs 1.39 crore
Rs 88.93 lakh received by the Collector's office as compensation from embassies of countries where Indian nationals died in circumstances liable for compensation were also not disbursed to the families of the deceased.
These facts were part of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) inspection report on the accounts of the collector's office released last year.
The report, which pointed out several irregularities in the accounts and functioning of the Collector's office, was accessed by activist Vihar Durve through an RTI query earlier this month.
"The MPLADS funds, which amounted to Rs 10.05 crore, were of Rajya Sabha MPs from 1993-94 to 2004-05.
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A significant portion of the unutilised funds was in the accounts of celebrity MPs from the state like Shabana Azmi (Rs 66.42 lakh) and Lata Mangeshkar (Rs 1.39 crore) among others," said Durve.
"If they were not utilised, they should have been distributed among the successor MPs.
But that, it seems, was not done. The CAG report also mentions that utilisation certificates of works completed under the MLA/MLC local area development programme amounting to Rs 37.34 crore were not submitted.
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There are other irregularities as well," he added.
The Other Side
When contacted, Mumbai Collector Chandrasekhar Oak said, "I am not aware of this. I will be able to comment only after I read the report and then check the records for verification."
Lata Mangeshkar said, "As far as I remember, I had exhausted all the funds allotted to me by the time my term ended.
As a Rajya Sabha MP, I generally utilised the money to build schools and generate resources for children's education.
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I had used Rs 1.90 crore for a children's school in Kolhapur. I had also used money for children's schools in Mumbai,
Nashik and Indore. A school in my mother's memory was also constructed. I used the money in whatever way I could.
I was told I had used all the funds allocated to me. Pata nahin yeh paise kahan se aa gaye," she added.
Azmi could not be reached for comment.
(With inputs from Subhash K Jha)
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